The manufacturing of melamine boards is a large industry; in 2013 the melamine board production reached 12 billion m2 only in Europe.

Traditionally the melamine paper imitates real wood, however clients increasingly demand customised designs with new colours, motifs, textures and patterns.

The combination of already available technologies converts Digital Printing in an emerging alternative for imprinting the decorative papier of melamine decorative boards.

Digital printing makes possible:

• Shorter time-to-market, the versatility of the imprinting and the intercommunication of the stakeholders will make possible to shorten delivery time
• Shorter run length, which makes possible to meet customers demand and to improve the profitability of the average order.
• Reduction of stocks, which is currently oversized despite of the continuous renew of designs and the increasingly smaller orders.

• Smaller run batches, 50% of the orders are under 1,000 m2, while the standard paper roll is over 6,000 m2. The self-printing will allow producing paper rolls containing the exact amount of patterns demanded by customers.
• Full design customization in terms of colour, pattern and introduction of final commercial logos or trademarks. Digital production will make possible new opportunities such as: (i) The direct customization of products by the customer; (ii) The offer of exclusive designs, and; (iii) The production of decorative patterns with no repetition.
• Innovative products, such as patterns with no repetitions, unique patterns, variable data printing, etc.
• Water consumption and waste reduction: achieved throughout the substitution of traditional rotogravure printing technology for digital printing, and thanks to on demand production.

Having this target in mind, the main objective of the Printodeco project is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.

Printodeco project main objective is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.

The use of digital printing for melamine paper represents a change of paradigm in the business of decorative boards, since not only will affect to the manufacturing of the paper, but also will change the whole value chain.

As a first benefit, digital printing will provide flexibility and design personalisation to the boards. More interestingly, it will make possible that SME focussed in design or printing can get into the decorative board market and the interaction among all stakeholders with special emphasis in the final user.

Having this target in mind, the general objective of the Printodeco project is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.

Therefore, Printodeco brings together into the consortium project 4 major stakeholders that complete the chain value. They will assess the viability of the digital transformation in an operational environment:

• A graphic communication SME (Tórculo)
• A SME focused on product development (Seistag),
• An melamine board manufacturer (Losán) and
• A furniture manufacturer (Logisiete) that also activates a world-wide market place for final-customers (cocinas.com)